Symptoms and causes

Symptoms

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you or your child develops signs and symptoms that worry you.

Causes

Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a type of bone cancer that begins in the cells that form the bone. Osteosarcoma occurs most often in the long bones of the arms and legs.

Ewing's sarcoma

Ewing's sarcoma

Ewing's sarcoma is a type of bone cancer that most commonly affects children and young adults.

It's not clear what causes most bone cancers. Doctors know bone cancer begins as an error in a cell's DNA. The error tells the cell to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way. These cells go on living, rather than dying at a set time. The accumulating mutated cells form a mass (tumor) that can invade nearby structures or spread to other areas of the body.

Types of bone cancer

Bone cancers are broken down into separate types based on the type of cell where the cancer began. The most common types of bone cancer include:

Osteosarcoma. Osteosarcoma begins in the bone cells. Osteosarcoma occurs most often in children and young adults, in the bones of the leg or arm.

Chondrosarcoma. Chondrosarcoma begins in cartilage cells. It usually occurs in the pelvis, legs or arms in middle-aged and older adults.

Ewing's sarcoma. It's not clear where in bone Ewing's sarcoma begins, but the tumors most commonly arise in the pelvis, legs or arms of children and young adults.

Risk factors

It's not clear what causes bone cancer, but doctors have found certain factors are associated with an increased risk, including:

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